


A Trick of the Eyes

by Lazchan



Category: Servamp
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-24
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-08-10 18:06:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7855651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lazchan/pseuds/Lazchan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hyde comes to check up on his brother and finds he and Mahiru are acting strangely alike....</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Trick of the Eyes

It had been tiring for _all_ of them. Even the most energetic of them was worn out by all that had transpired, their lives twisting around in unpredictable patterns with Tsubaki targeting them at random. Those that had actually been hurt had a small chance to recover, but it was still a slow process. No one was quite up to their usual speed.

Still—that being said, Hyde stopped dead in his tracks at seeing Mahiru sprawled across the table, hood over his head and eyes half-closed, looking much too like his older brother. _That_ person was sprawled next to Mahiru, with the same heavy-lidded expression as they turned their heads in sync to look at the noise Hyde made when he came in.

Hyde snickered and didn't even bother to hide it. "Ma-hi-ru~" he practically sang out the syllables as he moved closer to them. "I thought nii-san was getting better habits from you and now you're looking more like him." He poked him in the head and was rewarded by Mahiru pulling the hood over his head and trying to retreat like a turtle. Hyde could have sworn he heard the words, 'can't deal', muffled against the table.  

Hyde shook a scolding finger at his brother. "Nii-san—I thought that Mahiru was being a positive influence on _you_ , not the other way around. He looks as tired as you do all the time." He pulled out the chair with a loud scraping sound, earning displeased looks from the pair in front of him. "I'm jealous you and your Eve are that close."

Mahiru sat up a little, rubbing at his eyes. There were dark circles there. Not quite bad as to rival Sleepy Ash, but prominent enough that Hyde knew the Eve hadn't slept much at all. "You and Licht-san are close…" he murmured, leaning sideways until Kuro was the one propping up him. Only Hyde saw the small smile on his brother's face and marveled again that this human had been able to help his brother after all the decades that had passed by. He opened his eyes again.

"… I think you need to sleep, Mahiru. I can stay awake…" There was that flatness, that overall tiredness that flavored every word that Sleepy Ash spoke, but there was an undercurrent of worry, too.

"No way—" Mahiru struggled to sit up again and glared at Sleepy Ash. It was really amusing to watch the two sleepiest people he had seen in a while try and keep up an argument. "I—I'm supposed to be your strength…" he yawned in the middle of the words and Hyde's smirk grew.

"Angel and I can watch this time," he said. "We're recovered and more alert than you two." He snorted. He was finally feeling more back to normal, even if…

"… can you use your powers yet?" His brother's look was intense. Tsubaki had been clever and had known more than he should about their creator. What exactly had their youngest brother been told when in the care of him?

Hyde looked away and flushed. "No," he murmured, fiddling with his glasses. "But Licht can still use the power I gave him and we're still connected—so maybe that will return. I'm still me—still a vampire and I'm still stronger than a human." His grin was a little shaky. "Angel is still clever with his music and using his lead…"

Mahiru perked up a little at that, looking vaguely more interested, but that utter exhaustion was still in his expression. What exactly had he passed along to his brother, even unintentionally, while they were both trapped by Tsurugi's magic? It had been strong enough to pin both Eve and Servamp, but Sleepy Ash wasn't showing any ill effects, other than his usual tiredness. Tsurugi hadn't _intended_ any of it, not really—not with how shattered he obviously was.

Not that Hyde intended to forgive him for hurting Sleepy Ash, but he feared his sister's over protective nature  more than he wanted to pursue his anger. He focused more on Mahiru's little burst of energy, trying to coax him out of looking like a duplicate of Sleepy Ash. "Yeah—angel is doing fantastic. Maybe he can teach you something, Ma-hi-ru."

Kuro snorted. "Don't encourage him to do more," he muttered. "He'll break himself trying to do it. We're doing fine as we are." He hunched further into his coat. "Already does  too much for a cat like me." He twisted his form and the cat version of him lay sprawled on the table, earning an amused snort from Mahiru, who just poked at him and Kuro changed back, so that Mahiru had something to lean against that wasn't the cold table.

"Yeah, yeah—" he muttered. "A lazy cat like you doesn't sway me—" He smiled a little in his sleepiness. "Hey… remember how you said we'd both turn into cats…?" he asked. "Were you being serious?"

Hyde covered his mouth to muffle his laughter. At the moment, it was all too easy to imagine Mahiru as a cat next to him brother. He had never told Licht that much about the bond and was a little surprised that Sleepy Ash told Mahiru as much as he did. He couldn't help but imagine Licht as the 'angel mouse' that Licht had wanted _Hyde_ to be. The mental image was hysterical and he choked down another laugh when he felt the reverberations down the bond he shared with his Eve.  He'd be either the world's angriest or the world's most _pure_ hedgehog.

"Maybe," Sleepy Ash shrugged and his eyes slipped closed as well for a moment. No matter what Mahiru had given to help his servamp, Sleepy Ash had exerted himself far more than he had lately than he had in decades. He was exhausted as well and more than just his nature allowed. "Be easier to deal with you as a cat.."

"You don't mean that, Kuro—who would make your ramen and buy your snacks?" Mahiru teased. "You know you keep me around for just that." The words were light-hearted, but there was still an undercurrent of uncertainty there that Hyde caught, only because he knew his brother so well and by extension, he thought he could read a little of his brother's Eve.

It _totally_ wasn't because he wondered if Licht was going to get rid of him now that he knew how and with their weakened bond. That was a fear that he wouldn't speak out loud. If he mentioned it to Licht, he'd just get kicked through a wall and if he mentioned it to Krantz, he would just go after the squirt gun again and do him in just to make Licht's life worry-free again.

Sleepy Ash just sighed. "Can't deal…" he said softly, voice almost inaudible. "You're not as bad as you were before, Mahiru. You're worth more than ramen." There was that hint of a teasing smile on his face again and Hyde almost fell back in shock at the lack of apathy. "You don't buy it now, so I guess I keep you for other reasons." His voice was even quieter now and he looked over at Mahiru, sleepy expression meeting sleepy expression. "I don't regret any of it."

Hyde thought it might be a prudent time to get Licht and have them do guard duty. Maybe even Wrath or that tall kid of Old Child's could help out, too, but Mahiru and Sleepy Ash needed a break for once. His brother was the strongest out of all of them, but even he could be broken. Hyde was determined to protect his older brother with everything he had.

He stood up, quieter this time and gave them a quick smile. "While you two take a nap here or in bed or wherever, I'l get nee-chan and angel-chan to come by and watch the place so you, Mahiru, can at least stop competing with my brother for sleepiness."

Sleepy Ash just gave him an amused look at pulled Mahiru to his feet. "If … if you would—" he said softly. He could stay awake forever, he didn’t actually need sleep or food or anything, but he was doing it for his Eve and Mahiru was more stubborn than three of them put together. Sleepy Ash had a reason now and something to protect…

…and as Hyde whistled to himself as he went to hunt down his angel, he knew that had something to protect as well. Even if it was a violent angel that was too fond of kicking him and threatening to kill him. Like now—Licht had a look of fury on his face as he barreled down on Hyde and all Hyde heard before Licht threw himself at him was something about hedgehogs and shitty rat demons.

 Hyde simply laughed and dragged Licht down with him, grinning the whole time. Licht wasn't even trying right now and that was a sign all of its own. "Come on, angel-chan~" he sang. "Let's go find nee-chan and this time we can help nii-chan and Mahiru rest a little before they do something reckless again."

Licht snorted but relented before kicking Hyde in the head. "That'll be something else to see," he muttered, grumpy as always. He respected Mahiru a lot more, but had a lot of words to say for someone that exhausted themselves to pieces just to reach out to someone in need.

Hyde nodded and leaned closer to Licht, hand touching the broken shards of his name that he wore still, glued together and showing the line where it had been snapped. "Yeah—if we keep them asleep, it made be a whole day before something goes wrong."

He kept up his chatter on the way to finding his sister, pleased that Licht hadn't pulled away yet. Maybe Licht could pick up some of his habits—he already knew that he was striving to reflect a little of the shine that his Eve left off.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I might do several chapters of these, of Mahiru reflecting Kuro's habits, because the thought amuses me a little too much. :)


End file.
